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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22379764">Safe in My Heart</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuthorCarnation/pseuds/AuthorCarnation'>AuthorCarnation</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>In This Lifetime [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman - All Media Types, Justice League - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Needs a Hug, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alya Césaire Bashing, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bisexual Luka Couffaine, Chloé Bourgeois Redemption, F/M, Good Chloé Bourgeois, Lila Rossi Bashing, Lila Rossi's Lies Are Exposed, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protective Batfamily (DCU), Protective Damian Wayne, Protective Luka Couffaine, no beta we die like men</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 15:48:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,482</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22379764</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuthorCarnation/pseuds/AuthorCarnation</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Marinette is lonely.</p><p>Lila made good on her promise. Marinette is the loner who sits in the back of the class, her only friend, ironically, being Chloe. No matter what she does, Marinette can’t win. No one ever believes her when she tries to expose Lila and when she tries to keep quiet, Lila only ups her bullying. It'll take one boy’s stubborn ideals to ignited happiness back into Marinette's life.</p><p>Damian is angry.</p><p>He needs to be Batman. Not follow his father around for some business meeting in Paris where he can't even be Robin. He doesn't need to be Damian Wayne, all he cares about it becoming Batman one day. It doesn't matter what he wants, it only matters what needs to be done. It'll take one girl's willful love and compassion to help Damian realize that legacy isn't always all that matters.</p><p>It's all about balance.</p><p>Right?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Luka Couffaine, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Damian Wayne</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>In This Lifetime [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1617844</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>619</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Emeralds and Bluebells</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Any underlined word or phrase is actually a link so feel free to click on it.</p><p>Enjoy! xX</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em> "Look, we are not unspectacular things. We’ve come this far, survived this much. What would happen if we decided to survive more? To love harder?” - Ada Limon </em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Marinette took a deep breath before launching her yo-yo. It hooked onto one of the soda cans sitting heavy on the railing. She pulled it towards her and the can flew high up before slamming onto the floor and bursting. Marinette let out a scream and jumped away to avoid the splash.</p>
<p>She released a frustrated groan before letting herself fall to the floor and onto her back. Marinette Dupain-Cheng has been Ladybug for a year now and she still has no idea who Hawkmoth is. As time went on Akumas have become more and more dangerous. Though, at times, it felt as if only Marinette worried about catching Hawkmoth. Most citizens were content with their lives. After all, no matter the size of destruction, Ladybug could fix their city within seconds. That didn't stop Marinette from worrying about the psychological scars, though.</p>
<p>Marinette felt stuck with no way of knowing where Hawkmoth is or where he plans on striking next. It made her anxious. Like an itch at the back of her throat that she just couldn't scratch. The only thing Marinette could do right now is practice.</p>
<p> So that's what she did most nights. Every night Marinette snuck out of her room and hid under the evergrowing trees at the<em> Canal Saint-Martin </em>. She usually focused on her yo-yo techniques and hand-to-hand combat. Or at least she'd tried. She was getting better with her yo-yo but her hand-to-hand skills weren't progressing. Chat Noir never had the luxury of sticking around after patrol which left Ladybug with no sparring partner. There was only so much she could learn from punching the air.</p>
<p>"A childish trinket is an ineffective weapon for someone with your evident strength."</p>
<p>Marinette screeched, startling into a defensive position. The boy standing before her made her stance falter for a second.</p>
<p>The boy in question wore a simple fitted navy suit &amp; tie and a stark white undershirt. His ink-black hair gelled back gave her a perfect view of the boys glowing emerald eyes. Marinette could only pray that her cheeks weren’t as red as they felt hot.</p>
<p>The girl took a moment to compose herself before speaking, "I-I was just uh-."</p>
<p>The boy scoffed, rolling his eyes, "Don’t bother, I don’t want to know."</p>
<p>For once Marinette was glad she had decided to leave Tikki at home to rest and practice with a fake yo-yo instead of practicing in her suit like she usually did.</p>
<p> The boy easily ignored her stumbling over her words. He took the yo-yo from her hand and before she could protest, launched it at another can on the ledge. Unlike Marinette, when he retracted the yo-yo the soda can hit its mark, landing perfectly into his hand. "If you insist on using this toy as a weapon you must learn to adjust your strength to match it."</p>
<p> Marinette had to stop herself from being in awe of how he managed to accomplish the task she’d be working towards for the past hour on the first try. "Could you teach me?"</p>
<p> The boy silently moved behind her, letting his hand glide over hers. Marinette felt her body burn, she jumped, flailing away from him. “W-what are you doing?”</p>
<p> The boy raised an eyebrow, “You asked me to teach you.”</p>
<p> “O-oh.” She did ask him to teach her. Having a boy her age so close to her made Marinette panic. A boy that wasn’t Adrien! Oh boy. She’d never panicked like this in front of someone other than Adrien.</p>
<p> She decided this wasn’t the time to wonder why this boy affected her in the same way Adrien did. “I’m Marinette.”</p>
<p> He looked at her as if she should just know who he is. "Damian."</p>
<p> "Well, then Damian, how did you know to do that?"</p>
<p> “I’m well versed in an array of martial arts, both hand-to-hand and with weapons.”</p>
<p> Marinette couldn’t help but be excited “You know martial arts? Would you be willing to teach me?”</p>
<p> The boy, <em> Damian </em>, took a moment to eye the short slender girl before shrugging, “If you can be an apt student.”</p>
<p> “I catch on fast!” she eagerly assured him, excited to finally have a partner.</p>
<p> Damian took off his jacket, folding it neatly before laying it against the bench near them and folding the sleeves of his shirt. </p>
<p> Damian spent the next two hours helping Marinette and for the first time in a long time, Marinette felt like she could breathe. Damian was a tough but patient teacher who never raised his voice and Marinette couldn’t be more grateful for it. That being said, he wasn’t much of a talker, only answer each of her questions succinctly. Any other time her friendly personality would be working towards becoming Damian’s friend but right now she just wanted to be a better Ladybug and he was helping her do that so she won’t push him. At the end of the two hours, Damian had successfully taught her how to evade his attacks. Of course, he made sure to hold back, not wanting to actually hurt a civilian and Damian couldn’t help but be impressed. He hadn’t expected much from the petite girl. Despite her hyperactive bubbly nature, Damian could see a spark of determination in her eyes. He was reluctant to admit it attracted him to her.</p>
<p> “Are you a tourist?” Marinette asked, letting herself fall onto the bench, body fatigued.</p>
<p> “My father has business to conduct, I was forced along.” Damian settled next to her, not having broken a sweat.</p>
<p> “Well if you’d like, I can show you around tomorrow!” Marinette smiled “As a thank you for tonight?”</p>
<p> Damian took a moment to think. He didn’t care for Wayne Enterprise. He wanted to be Batman one day and being a CEO would just get in the way. His father hadn’t been happy to hear that and that had landed Damian on the seat right next to Bruces, following him around the world while his father conducted his business. If Bruce was adamant about dragging Damian around then Damian would do his best to spend it away from Bruce and W.E. </p>
<p> “Eight am?” Damian asked,</p>
<p>Marinette groaned, “You’re one of <em> those </em>people huh?”</p>
<p>At Damian’s questioning look she clarified “An early riser.”</p>
<p>Damian huffed, not bothering to reply.</p>
<p>Marinette let herself take in Damian’s face one more time, spending a second or two more looking into his emerald eyes before she sighed and got back on her feet. She couldn’t let herself fall for Damian as she had Adrien, her poor heart wouldn’t be able to handle it.</p>
<p>“Would you mind walking me home?” Marinette asked</p>
<p>By now, Marinette knew that Damian wasn’t a talker so she happily filled the silence. She made sure to point out all of her favorite shops and cafes on the way home. She told anecdotes of her adventures with her friends, not bothering to polish over her clumsy and embarrassment filled antics and took pride in making Damian’s lips quirk up occasionally. Marinette could tell that Damian would be a tough nut to crack but she was confident that eventually, she’d get past his rough exterior and become friends with the boy.</p>
<p>“You live here?” Damian eyed the bakery</p>
<p>“Mhm,” Marinette proudly nodded, “it’s my parent’s bakery, we live on the upper level.”</p>
<p>She took three steps back and pointed up to her terrace, her plants swaying gently in the breeze. “That’s my terrace.”</p>
<p>He nodded as if approving of her little garden. “I will meet you here tomorrow at eight.”</p>
<p>Marinette nodded, pulling out her phone “Here, give me your number in case anything happens.”</p>
<p>Damian easily gave Marinette his number. He didn’t normally give out his number, especially to girls his age. Most would either spread his number or try to get him to date them. Damian had no time or patience for persistently obnoxious girls. Marinette was different though wasn’t she? She didn’t know who he was and if Damian were to hazard a guess, he didn’t think she would really care that he was a Wayne. Damian waited till she had already made it in, securely locked the door and was on her way up the stairs.</p>
<p>He made it back to his hotel room, pleased to see that his father wasn’t back yet. He wasn’t in the mood to hear his father lecture him on staying out so late. An hour later found him showered and settled into a desk chair, books on various languages sprawled across his desk. His phone silently lit up with a notification. Damian would never admit it but he smiled upon opening the <a href="https://omgbabymarinette.tumblr.com/post/190598330518/chapter-one-sm">message</a> Marinette sent him.</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>For once, Marinette woke up on time and by 7:58 she came rushing down the stairs into the bakery fully <a href="https://shoplook.io/outfit-preview/1305460">dressed</a> and ready to go.</p>
<p>Tom and Sabine took a moment to analyze their daughter, flabbergasted that she was up at such an hour on a weekend. </p>
<p>“Marinette are you alright? Why are you up so early?” Sabine pressed the back of her hand against her daughter’s cheek and forehead.</p>
<p>Marinette laughed, gently pushing her <em>mere’s </em>hands away. “I’m alright <em> maman</em>, just meeting a friend in ten minutes.”</p>
<p>“Oh?” Tom started packing a box of treats, “Is Alya meeting you here?” He tried to hand the box to his daughter but she gently rejected it.</p>
<p>“No papa. I’m meeting a new friend and it’ll be just the two of us so I don’t need the box of treats.”</p>
<p>On cue, Damian firmly knocked on the door. Marinette bounced to the door, unlocking it briefly to let him in.</p>
<p>Damian stood before her in a simple long-sleeved white shirt, fitted dark jeans, and a pair of black combat boots. His hair spiked and slicked back like it had been the night before. He made acknowledged Marinette for a moment before stepping in front of her parents, hand outstretched. “My name is Damian, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng.”</p>
<p>Tom and Sabine were a bit startled at the fifteen-year old’s stoic and eloquent behavior. Any other time, Tom would have instantly pulled Marinette’s new friend off his feet and into a tight, warm hug, but this boy made him hesitate.</p>
<p>Sabine had no such qualms. She smiled her motherly smile pulling the boy into a hug, “It’s so nice to meet you, Damian, please call me Sabine.”</p>
<p>“Of course, Mrs. Sabine.” Damian left his arms at his side.</p>
<p>Sabine huffed, letting the boy leave her grasp. Marinette couldn’t help but giggle. </p>
<p>Tom opened the pastry box, offering it to the boy. “Would you like a pastry?”</p>
<p>Marinette offered him a napkin.</p>
<p>Damian took a moment to consider his choices. He’s never cared for sweets. But he also didn’t want to be rude to Marinette’s parents so he took the small green macaron in the corner of the box. “Thank you Mr. Dupain-Cheng.” He nodded.</p>
<p>“We should get going,” He turned towards Marinette, “Father requires my presence within two hours.”</p>
<p>That got Marinette moving, there was so much she wanted to show him. “Bye <em> maman, </em> papa.”</p>
<p>She pulled him out the door as her parents yelled after her, “Have fun and be safe!”</p>
<p>“So,” She guided him to a coffee place just two blocks from her home as he finished off the green tea macaron. “What does your dad do?”</p>
<p>“Father is a CEO.” Damian gave a succinct answer.</p>
<p>Marinette hummed, opening the door to the cafe. The place had just barely opened so their orders were quickly made and delivered. “Where are you from?”</p>
<p>“Gotham.” </p>
<p>Marinette’s eyes widened as she sucked on her straw. “Whoa, isn’t that the most crime-riddled place in America?”</p>
<p>Marinette guided Damian to the Eiffel Tower, the sun was just barely rising which meant there would be little to no one at the Tower. “Guess that’s why you’re such a good fighter huh?”</p>
<p>Marinette continued to talk and ask questions, Damian speaking up every once in a while with short answers. Marinette didn’t mind, she’d get him to open up eventually. She decided to take him to the Louve since he only had about two hours to spare. They spent a considerable amount of time at a multitude of exhibits as Marinette gave quick history lessons about certain pieces. There were a few pieces that Damian truly admired and Marinette made sure to take photos of him in front of said pieces with stealth. She made a mental note to send them to him later. Slowly but surely Damian started offering her pieces of his life. He told her about each of his brother’s daily antics and while he seemed annoyed, Marinette could tell that Damian was truly fond of his family.</p>
<p>As their time together came to an end, Marinette took them to Andre Glacier’s ice cream trolley. Damian couldn’t help but scoff as Marinette explained Andre’s ‘ability’ to sense budding romances and display them through his ice cream.</p>
<p>Before Damian could order, Andre jovially handed him a cone with three scoops of ice cream, “Blueberry for her hair, blue moon for her eyes, and peach for her lips!” he proudly exclaimed</p>
<p>Marinette was shocked when Andre spoke to her, “Blackberry for his hair, green tea for his eyes, and strawberry for his lips!”</p>
<p>Marinette took a moment to eye the ice cream before taking it, “This isn’t what you usually give me.” she wondered out loud</p>
<p>“Love is ever-evolving Marinette, it seems you’ve outgrown your past love!” Andre waved them off.</p>
<p>They thanked the man and found a shady bench to rest on. Damian took a tentative lick from the middle scoop, curious as to what blue moon could possibly taste like. He was pleasantly surprised to find it tasted like almonds.</p>
<p>“Something on your mind?” Damian inquired</p>
<p>Marinette gripped “There’s this boy I’ve liked for a while now and until today Andre always gave me ice cream that matched his traits but now...” </p>
<p>Marinette couldn’t help but be disappointed. Had she truly outgrown Adrien? No. It wasn’t true, Andre simply made a mistake.</p>
<p>
  <em> Right? </em>
</p>
<p>Damian rolled his eyes, “Will you truly let an ice cream man decide who you’re meant to love?”</p>
<p>“Well no, but Andre has never been wrong.” Marinette reasoned, reluctantly licking at the top scoop enjoying the taste of strawberry.</p>
<p>“Marinette, I can assure you that is statistically inaccurate. His claims of 100% success rate are simply to attract more lovesick fools.” Marinette turned to him and found herself surprisingly comforted at his blunt analytic words.</p>
<p>They spent the last 20 minutes finishing their ice cream and chatting about light-hearted things like music and food. Marinette found herself astonished at Damian’s rigid lifestyle. She recommended foods and drinks and activities that he might be interested in while also learning about his current lifestyle. She found herself amazed at his extensive knowledge of languages and combat abilities. Marinette was disappointed to find out that Damian would be leaving that night but firmly stuck to the idea that they could be long-distance friends.</p>
<p>Damian walked her back to the corner across from the bakery before stopping. “I’ll be going this way.” Damian pointed to the right of their position.</p>
<p>Marinette nodded, “I had fun today.” she smiled, cheeks turning pink as their eyes locked.</p>
<p>Damian nodded, “Today was enjoyable.”</p>
<p>They stood in relative silence before a moment before Marinette realized that Damian was waiting for her to safely cross the street. She took two steps away from Damian before doing something very impulsive. She kissed Damian’s cheek. Before he could even realize what she’d done, she ran. She looked at him one more time, cheeks burning before she disappeared from his line of vision and into the bakery.</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Marinette had managed to baffle Damian and he did not like to be baffled. Damian knew how to read people.</p>
<p>On the surface, Marinette seemed like any average girl that Damian would bump into on the street. Chipper, sweet, and friendly. But there was something about her that intrigued Damian and he couldn’t figure out what it was. One thing he did know however, no civilian, especially a fifteen-year-old, spends their nights in the park learning combat techniques. No civilian should be able to keep up with him the way she had been able too. No civilian should be able to mimic his movement perfectly with little to no effort. There was something about her, something, unnatural and Damian will figure out all of her secrets. It’s a good thing she’s so open about her life.</p>
<p>“Damian,” The boy turned to his father “ready to go?”</p>
<p>He simply nodded before picking up his duffle bag and following his father through the Zeta Tube hidden on the secret floor under the company building. Damian was grateful they had gone to Paris through the Zeta Tubes and not a plane. The Tube spits them out right into the Cave.</p>
<p>“Hey welcome back B, baby bad!” Dick was quick to greet them.</p>
<p>Damian surveyed the man lounging on the seat in front of the monitor. They had departed from Paris at about 5 pm which means it’s currently 11 am. Damian decided that now was a good time as any to make an effort.</p>
<p>“Grayson, call Drake and Todd. We are going for <a href="https://omgbabymarinette.tumblr.com/post/190598381383/chapter-one-sm">boba</a>.”</p>
<p>One silent heartbeat passed before Dick shot up in the excitement and dashed up the stairs. To get ready and contact his other two brothers, Damian presumed.</p>
<p>“Boba?” Bruce asked</p>
<p>Bruce worried about his son sometimes all the time. The boy had been too rigid, too resistant when he entered Bruce’s life. He thanked whatever force had compelled him to adopt his older three sons because without them Bruce was sure Damian would still be mimicking any and every ideology Ra's Al Ghul had taught him. At fifteen, Damian had become more malleable to the real world but he still refused to act his age. Damian was never one for sweet foods or video games or hanging out with people just for fun. Everything Damian did held an ulterior motive, specifically connected to being Robin or becoming Batman. His sons and Jon had been able to slowly coerce Damian into childish things but the boy still had a long way to go.</p>
<p>“A...friend recommended I try boba.” Damian stated, unpacking his Robin suit and putting it back on its stand. He had snuck the suit into his suitcase in hopes of needing it but sadly their trip to Paris had been uneventful. Other than Marinette that is.</p>
<p>“I thought Jon was your only friend?” Bruce watched Damian move around the cave.</p>
<p>“I have acquired another friend from Paris.” Damian made his way towards the stairs.</p>
<p>“So I was correct in dragging you to Paris then?” Bruce grinned, watching his son run up the stairs.</p>
<p>Damian scoffed, not bothering to respond as he disappeared up into the manor.</p>
<p><br/>
<em> ‘Whoever this friend was, they would be a good influence on his son.’ </em> Bruce thought before settling into his seat.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Maman - mom<br/>Mere - mother</p><p>I looked up the ice cream photos and it turns out that blueberry and blackberry ice cream are both purple in color but let’s pretend they’re the actual colors that they’re named.</p><p>Blue moon ice cream is found in the Upper Midwest of the US with bright blue color and no one knows exactly what it tastes like. There’s an entire list of possible flavors ranging from Fruit Loops to lemon. Yall should really look it up, it’s interesting. Anyone who’s ever had Blue Moon Ice Cream, what did you taste?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Facade</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p> </p><p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <em> "I feel extremely low when I wait for people, need people, cling to people, look around for people; that only thickens the dark cloud hanging over me and makes me feel myself a villain” - Rainer Maria Rilke </em>
  </p>
</blockquote><p> </p><p>Lila came into Marinette's life like a tornado and left behind only rubble and debris. Lila took all her friends and all her accomplishments. Every word out of Lila’s mouth was like the Gospel to her entire class, and with every word, she managed to isolate Marinette. Her class had become so delusional that they even believed that everything Marinette did as class president was due to Lila and her ‘connections’ with various famous people. </p><p> </p><p>Marinette had tried to reveal the truth in the beginning. She tried to warn her friends that Lila was lying and they should learn to question her statements. But they all wrote her off as being jealous of Lila’s closeness to Adrien. They hadn’t been wrong of course, Marinette was jealous at how Lila’s lies and Adrien’s passive nicety brought them together. But it didn’t mean she was wrong. She had tried to get Adrien to have her back, but even he abandoned her. Not that she blamed him. Adrien had spent his life in isolation and wanted nothing more than to be accepted. So, of course, he wouldn’t go against his classmates and friends.</p><p> </p><p>Revealing the truth hadn’t worked, so she tried to do as Adrien wanted. She kept her mouth shut. She let Lila mesmerize the class with her promises of using her connections to make their dreams come true. She kept her head down and did her work diligently like always. But no matter how hard she tried, things just got worse. Alya started pulling away from her, only calling when she needed Marinette to babysit her siblings. The girls started having sleepovers and always ‘forgot’ to invite her or made plans when they knew Marinette wouldn’t be able to attend. Eventually, it became blatantly clear that her class wanted nothing to do with her. Marinette thought the isolation would kill her one day.</p><p> </p><p>It got worse.</p><p> </p><p>Because the simple fact is, bullies don't magically reform if left alone, they just get bolder.</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly Marinette wasn’t just being ignored, she was being assaulted, both verbally and physically. Though to be fair to the rest of her classmates, only Lila physically assaulted her and even then it was subtle and hidden from the rest of the world. A pinch here, an accidental swing of the arm there and no one caught on. The verbal abuse was rampant and obvious, however. Caline Bustier was no help, her passive ideologies giving her the perfect excuse to turn a blind eye to her disastrous students. Marinette had learned to not rely on her because the simple fact was that even if she had proof (which she didn’t) Bustier would never believe her. After all, she had let Chole run the class like a dictator without batting an eye for years.</p><p> </p><p>Marinette had learned to take the abuse because what else could she do? Her teacher was useless, her entire class believed Lila’s every word, her principle was just as spineless as her teacher, and while her parents would believe her, she had no proof to give them so they couldn’t do anything for her. Adrien knew the truth but even he didn’t have the guts to speak up. Her classmates threw words like ‘bully’ and ‘selfish’ at her and Marinette just couldn’t understand how her friends could turn on her so quickly. Months went by and Marinette learned to compartmentalize, to keep a steady stoic face as they screamed viciously in her face, she refused to give them the satisfaction that they got to her. </p><p> </p><p>Sometimes though, they managed to break her facade and leave her in agony. Like now.</p><p> </p><p>Marinette’s hands trembled as she worked to pick up the scraps of paper, eyes blinded with unshed tears. Her sketchbook, they’d destroyed her sketchbook. Apparently she’d stolen Lila’s journal and therefore her designs. Thankfully, it was just her trash journal that she put all her random ideas in that Lila was planning on destroying. Lila’s best friend, Alya, was more than happy to do the honors. The funny thing was, back when they were friends it was Alya who had bought her that sketchbook as a birthday gift. Marinette quickly shoved the pieces into her bag, silently hoping she’d be able to put it all back together enough to redraw all her work in another sketchbook. She composed herself long enough to make it to the top of the stairs, taking her seat in the very corner of the room as she had been for months.</p><p> </p><p>Being in the very back had its advantages. Marinette could easily hide her phone behind a stack of books and Mme. Bustier would be more than happy to ignore her. She lowered the brightness on her phone and made sure to double-check that her AirPods were connected. Marinette wasn’t a bad student, she was far from it in fact. Marinette was a straight-A student who went above and beyond with her duties as Class Representative. However, she had come to hate Mme. Bustier’s class for obvious reasons so it was a good thing that Marinette easily excelled in the subjects she taught, French, Poetry, and Literature.</p><p> </p><p>On cue, Damian’s face filled her phone screen, she did her best to stifle a smile before accepting his facetime request. She set her phone against her stack of books so he could see at least half of her face. The screen opened to a notebook, scattered pens, coffee cups, a calculator, and a pair of glasses. Marinette quickly did the math and realized that Damian had probably just finished his classes so he was probably at a coffee shop revising his notes, the glasses told her that Jon was probably with him.</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://omgbabymarinette.tumblr.com/post/611179772032188416/a-year-of-friendship">A year</a> had passed since Marinette met Damian. A year of texting and late-night facetime and Marinette could honestly consider Damian her friend. Her only friend now it seemed.</p><p> </p><p>“Good morning, Marinette.” Damian’s deep soothing voice reverberated in her ears sending a chill through her body. </p><p> </p><p>He tilted his phone to show Jon who waved energetically, “Morning Marinette!” She smiled, giving a quick hum in response.</p><p> </p><p>Damian flipped the camera and Marinette panicked. She quickly covered her face to hide the warmth on her cheeks. There was a small part of her that would always love Adrien, no one ever completely gets over their first crush, but she’d come to terms with the fact that Marinette and Adrien just weren’t meant to be. In dealing with Lila, the betrayal from her friends, and the heartbreak Adrien had dealt her by asking her to keep quiet, Marinette had turned to Damian and they’d formed a deep bond. It took a while but Marinette had come to terms with the fact that she was head over heels for Damian.</p><p> </p><p>Her crush on Damian was much different than her crush on Adrien had been. At sixteen, Marinette learned to be less klutzy and spastic around Damian as she had been with Adrien. She managed to hold full conversations with the boy just as she would a friend because that’s all Damian was and that’s all he’d ever be to her. Damian had made it clear that he wasn’t looking for a relationship from the way he spoke about the girls in his school that would try to throw themselves at him. One late night, after such a story, Marinette had gathered the courage to ask Damian what kind of girl he was looking for. She joked about wanting to set him up but was secretly hoping that she had some of the qualities he was looking for. Damian had bluntly stated that he wasn’t looking for a girl at all, that he never would and when the time came for him to marry, Damian would have his father find him a bride. After that conversation, Marinette accepted that’d she’d have to keep her feelings a secret and hope that she could overcome them one day.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re in class,” Damian stated rather than ask her because he knew her schedule better than Marinette did. It oddly managed to warm her heart. “And you have been crying. Why?”</p><p> </p><p>Marinette winced under Damian’s piercing gaze, she looked away focusing her gaze towards mme. Bustier. “I do not understand why you let that horrendous class of yours walk all over you.”</p><p> </p><p>“Want me to come and beat them up for you, Nettie?” Marinette had to stifle a snort at Jon’s comment. Jonathan Kent was the absolute last person Marinette would believe had the capability to be violent in any way. She doubted the boy even had it in him to raise his voice.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Marinette managed to make it home without any more incidents. She made a quick stop at the bakery to grab a few pink macarons for Tikki, two cream croissants, and a cup of steamy Earl Grey Tea her father made specifically for her, before bolting up the stairs to her room. She set everything down on her computer desk before opening her closet and taking out the costume stand, fabrics, and all her other clothing utensils. She set her purse on the computer table next to her food and Tikki quickly made her way over to the pink macarons. Marinette pulled a sketchbook from behind her computer and opened it to the right page.</p><p> </p><p>The costume stand held<a href="https://omgbabymarinette.tumblr.com/post/611179755020124160/jagged-stone-and-penny-rollings"> Jagged Stones' new suit</a> for the upcoming music awards that he would be attending. So far, it was a simple black velvet three-piece with intricate gold embroidery along the collar. After months of painstaking labor and multiple pinpricks along her fingertips, she had finally finished the outlining stitches yesterday. Today she’d be working on adding the studs and spikes that would make this simple suit truly scream ‘Rock and Roll!!’</p><p> </p><p>Marinette had finished Penny’s dress last month. Penny had insisted that she make her a dress that was simple and short. So Marinette made her a black dress with three-fourth sleeves, a full felt circle skirt that flared from her just above her belly button and ended mid-thigh. She left the bodice alone and instead created a thick band of intricate gold and blue embroidery along the skirt. </p><p> </p><p>Marinette was excited to show Penny and Jagged her work. Ever since the glasses Marinette had made for Jagged, he had Penny get her number. It started with small things in the beginning, jewelry pieces that would best go with his concert outfits then he started commissioning her for outfits that he could wear around the house on rare days when he could just laze around. Now, about a year and a half later, she was working on the fourth piece Jagged had commissioned for a very big appearance. The first suit Marinette had created for Jagged was an instant hit. Every reporter had wanted to know who Jagged was wearing and every celebrity wanted to know how to get into touch with this mysterious new designer. Marinette, while excited that so many people loved her work, didn’t want to be known just yet. </p><p> </p><p>After a long talk with Penny and her parents, they collectively decided that it would be best that Marinette worked under a pseudonym until she turned eighteen. Thus came MDC, a mysterious designer that could only be contacted through Jagged Stone and was very particular on which commissions she accepted. Marinette wished she could take them all but the truth was that she just didn’t have enough time to take every commission that came her way so Marinette worked with Penny to decide which commissions were doable for her and which ones might cause her unnecessary stress.</p><p> </p><p>Marinette took a deep breath before diving into her work. She spent the next couple of hours working on the suit, taking a ten-minute break every so often to give her hands a rest. The sun had set for a good couple of hours before Marinette decided she’d done enough work for the day. She managed to finish an entire sleeve and about a quarter of the second sleeve. Marinette took a few minutes to clean up and stretch her muscles before letting herself fall onto the ground, looking up at the costume stand.</p><p> </p><p>“Marinette, it looks amazing!” Tikki squealed, hovering around the suit.</p><p> </p><p>“My fingers are numb.” Marinette bemoaned</p><p> </p><p>She rolled onto her side and her eye caught the small pink pouch that lay a few feet from her, having fallen from the computer table. Her heart stuttered just a bit as she remembered what was in the purse. She sat up, took a deep breath, gripped the string of her purse, and pulled it towards herself.</p><p> </p><p>“Marinette...” Tikki came to settle on her shoulder, nuzzling into her cheek</p><p> </p><p>“I have to put the pieces back together as best I can Tikki.” Marinette opened the bag and dumped the shreds of paper onto the floor.</p><p> </p><p>Her eyes watered and she couldn’t take it. Marinette did her best to bite her lip and stifle a cry as she bolted up to her terrace. She made sure the hatch was safely closed before struggling for air and releasing it in sobs. She cried and cried and cried till there was nothing left in her anymore. Tikki’s voice couldn’t touch her, the chilling air numbing her skin. All sense of time slipped till all she could do was lie on the chair looking up at the sky, tears silently slipping from the corners of her eyes.</p><p> </p><p>Marinette didn’t hear Cat Noir landing silently on her terrace. “Marinette?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This chapter was actually supposed to be much longer but I haven't had a chance to write anymore in weeks so I decided to just say fuck it and post this much for now.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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